1979 Pittsburgh Panthers football team

1979 Pittsburgh Panthers football
Eastern Champions Fiesta Bowl Champions
Fiesta Bowl, Win, 16-10, Arizona Wildcats
Conference	Independent
Ranking
Coaches	#6
AP	#7
1979 record	11–1
Head coach	Jackie Sherrill (3rd year)
Offensive coordinator	Wally English (1st year)
Offensive scheme	Multiple Pro
Defensive coordinator	Foge Fazio (1st year)
Base defense	Multiple Front
Home stadium	Pitt Stadium (Capacity: 56,500)
Seasons « 1978 1980 »

1979 Division I-A independents football records
	Conf							Overall
Team	W		L		T			W		L		T
No. 6 Florida State		–		–				11	–	1	–	0
No. 7 Pittsburgh		–		–				11	–	1	–	0
UNLV		–		–				9	–	1	–	2
No. 17 Temple		–		–				10	–	2	–	0
Tulane		–		–				9	–	3	–	0
Rutgers		–		–				8	–	3	–	0
East Carolina		–		–				7	–	3	–	1
No. 20 Penn State		–		–				8	–	4	–	0
South Carolina		–		–				8	–	4	–	0
Navy		–		–				7	–	4	–	0
Notre Dame		–		–				7	–	4	–	0
Southern Miss		–		–				6	–	4	–	1
Syracuse		–		–				7	–	5	–	0
Colgate		–		–				5	–	4	–	1
Boston College		–		–				5	–	6	–	0
Holy Cross		–		–				5	–	6	–	0
Memphis		–		–				5	–	6	–	0
Miami		–		–				5	–	6	–	0
North Texas State		–		–				5	–	6	–	0
Villanova		–		–				5	–	6	–	0
Virginia Tech		–		–				5	–	6	–	0
West Virginia		–		–				5	–	6	–	0
Georgia Tech		–		–				4	–	6	–	1
Louisville		–		–				4	–	6	–	1
Connecticut		–		–				3	–	6	–	2
William & Mary		–		–				4	–	7	–	0
Illinois State		–		–				3	–	8	–	0
Northeast Louisiana		–		–				3	–	8	–	0
Army		–		–				2	–	8	–	1
Air Force		–		–				2	–	9	–	0
Cincinnati		–		–				2	–	9	–	0
Richmond		–		–				0	–	11	–	0
Rankings from AP Poll

The 1979 Pittsburgh Panthers football team represented the University of Pittsburgh in the 1979 college football season. The Panthers competed in the 1980 Fiesta Bowl. Pitt was awarded the Lambert-Meadowlands Trophy as the champion of the East.

Schedule

In the Backyard Brawl, Pittsburgh was led by freshman quarterback Dan Marino. He directed Pitt to a 24-17 victory in the last college football game played at old Mountaineer Field.

Date	Time	Opponent#	Rank#	Site	TV	Result	Attendance
Sat. Sep. 15	1:30 p.m.	Kansas	#16	Pitt Stadium • Pittsburgh, PA		W 24–0	41,545
Sat. Sep. 22	1:00 p.m.	at North Carolina	#13	Kenan Memorial Stadium • Chapel Hill, NC		L 7–17	50,500
Sat. Sep. 29	7:30 p.m.	at Temple		Veterans Stadium • Philadelphia, PA		W 10–9	34,039
Sat. Oct. 6	1:30 p.m.	Boston College		Pitt Stadium • Pittsburgh, PA		W 28–7	37,146
Sat. Oct. 13†	10:00 a.m.	Cincinnati		Pitt Stadium • Pittsburgh, PA		W 35–0	31,620
Sat. Oct. 20	4:30 p.m.	at #12 Washington	#17	Husky Stadium • Seattle, WA	ABC	W 26–14	52,485
Sat. Oct. 27	1:30 p.m.	#17 Navy	#12	Pitt Stadium • Pittsburgh, PA		W 24–7	51,332
Sat. Nov. 3	12:30 p.m.	Syracuse	#12	Pitt Stadium • Pittsburgh, PA	ABC	W 28–21	43,500
Sat. Nov. 10	1:30 p.m.	at West Virginia	#12	Mountaineer Field • Morgantown, WV (Backyard Brawl)		W 24–17	38,681
Sat. Nov. 17	1:30 p.m.	at Army	#11	Michie Stadium • West Point, NY		W 40–0	31,689
Sat. Dec. 1	12:30 p.m.	at #20 Penn State	#11	Beaver Stadium • University Park, PA	ABC	W 29–14	76,958
Tue. Dec. 25	3:30 p.m.	vs. Arizona	#10	Sun Devil Stadium • Tempe, AZ (Fiesta Bowl)	NBC	W 16–10	55,347
*Non-Conference Game. †Homecoming. #Rankings from AP Poll released prior to game. All times are in Eastern Time.

Coaching staff

1979 Pittsburgh Panthers football staff
	Coaching Staff Jackie Sherrill – Head Coach Jimmy Sharpe – Assistant Head Coach/Offensive Line Wally English – Offensive Coordinator/Receivers Foge Fazio – Defensive Coordinator/Linebackers Ron Dickerson – Defensive Backs Bob Matey – Defensive Line Joe Moore – Offensive Backs Joe Pendry – Quarterbacks Ray Zingler – Defensive Ends			Support Staff Alex Kramer – Executive Assistant Kevin Dickey – Recruiting Coordinator Nick Gasparato – Graduate Assistant Jerry Leith – Graduate Assistant Nick Rapone – Graduate Assistant			Strength and Conditioning Staff Paul Stark – Weight, Strength Coach

Team players drafted into in the NFL

Player	Position	Round	Pick	NFL Club
Jo Jo Heath	Defensive Back	6	141	Cincinnati Bengals
Bob Gruber	Tackle	10	276	Los Angeles Rams

References

Dan Marino quarterbacks Pitt in 35-0 rout of Cincinnati on October 13, 1979